Seperation
by animeduchess14
Summary: After being sent away from Konoha for safety, Sakura learns the Akatsuki killed her parents. Dead set on revenge she attempts to travel back but is stopped by two of the very organisation she wants to kill. Amused with the young kunoichi, they take her back to her base to question her. Secrets reveled, heart-warming talks, and 'baka' moments are filled in this tale of growing up.
1. Chapter 1

_Separation_

_Chapter 1:_

-*x*-

They always said they would come back for me, and I believed them. Otou-san and Kaa-san would never lie to me. In every fiber of my seven year old body, I believed in my parents. After all, they promised me before I left. They never go back on promises. Just like the true shinobi and kunoichi they are.

Konoha was being attacked on an often occurrence lately, by some group called the 'Akatsuki'. The only thing I know about it is that they want something called a 'Kyuubi' that we have. I've never heard of it before though. Because of those attacks, a lot of the parents in Konoha sent out the younger children, including me, to other villages or relatives to live with, until Konoha was safe at least. That was 9 months ago though, that's what worried me.

I haven't set foot in Konoha since. I really missed it too. My oba-san and oji-san were kind and loving people to me, and I dearly appreciated the fact that they let me stay in their home. It's a non shinobi village about 6 hours away from Konoha, and it was quite peaceful here. That's what bore me though, no excitement whatsoever.

"Sakura, we have some news for you sweetie!"

My oba-san called me down from my room, and I ran down the stairs in excitement, and found oba-san and oji-san on the couch, with a sadden look on their faces. She motioned for me to come closer, and I obediently followed.

"Sakura dear, we have some bad news," my oji-san said as he glanced over to oba-san.

"Your parents are in a better place, sweetheart. They passed away in battle, I'm so sorry," my oba-san said slowly, opening her arms for me to hug her, which I immediately did.

"You are certainly welcome to stay here Sakura, if you want," oji-san added.

"Or you could go to Konoha, its safe now. The Akatsuki finally took their leave. You would have to become a kunoichi to support yourself though, it's your decision Sakura," oba-san finished. I wiped away some of my tears before speaking up finally.

"I'm going to go back to Konoha. Arigatou for letting me stay oji-san and oba-san."

After a quiet dinner together, I made my way back to my room and began to pack my belongings. The only thing on my mind was about how the 'Akatsuki' will pay for what they did. I'm going to become the strongest kunoichi ever, and defeat them all, for otou-san and kaa-san, as well as for Konoha. Konoha already let me in the academy, and I well surpassed my age group.

Thanks to kaa-san who taught me medical ninjutsu, and otou-san who taught me taijutsu. I may be only seven, but I'm already at chunin level. The Hokage said I had perfected chakra control before I left and that I was an excellent student, always having high marks from theory to kunai throwing. I wanted to make a name for myself, and I already had planned on becoming a kunoichi. Those 9 months, were spent diligently, training and reading, I was fiercely determined. After I had finished packing, I said my goodbyes and started to travel back to Konoha, with my backpack and canteen in hand. Both of them assured me that I could come over anytime I wanted, and they would surely visit me soon. Oba-san baked some goodies for me on the trip, which I was thankful for since she was an amazing cook.

Halfway through my unusually quiet journey I heard voices heading towards my direction, two masculine ones. I instantly concealed my chakra and hid in a nearby bush, kunai already out in my hand. I wasn't going to jump out unless absolutely necessary. The two walking nearby were adorned in the same cloak, black with red clouds scattered across it, they were part of the Akatsuki; I knew it from reading the Bingo Books.

"Neh? Deidara-sempai, do you sense something?" The voice belonged to the orange masked man, he seemed childish and annoying. He certainly didn't look like he belonged in the Akatsuki.

"Tobi you baka, I don't sense anything!" The blonde pounded 'Tobi' on the head, earning a pout for the childish man who didn't fight back.

"But Tobi does Deidara-sempai! It's behind that bush," Tobi said while pointing towards my current location. 'Kuso.'

"Whatever Tobi, there's nothing here, see?" He revealed my tiny form and stared at me intently before taking a step back.

"What the hell! A girl?" Tobi rushed over to me, disregarding the fact that I had a kunai in my hand, and gave me a bone crushing hug. "Aww! What are you doing out here for, pretty flower? Are you a kunoichi?" He added a gasp at the end.

"You hid your chakra, and you're so young," Deidara muttered before pulling his partner off me. "My name isn't pretty flower! It's Sakura Haruno, and don't forget it! Yes, I'm a kunoichi too!" I said with a pout, tapping my foot against the ground. The two stared at me a bit before they both let out a booming laugh.

Of course, this just annoyed me even more, so I threw the kunai between the two, which only increased their laughter. "You got guts for messing with us, kunoichi," Deidara said with a smirk on his face. "So what! Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking my leave, sayonara!" I waved a dismissing hand at the two, but Tobi caught me by the collar before I could react.

"Deidara-sempai, Tobi thinks we should take Sakura-chan with us!" They couldn't see my face, but boy I was mad. "What makes you think I'd go with? And don't call me 'Sakura-chan'! I don't know you," I said with a huff, annoyed that I couldn't move (unless I wanted to be choked at least). 'Kuso, I shouldn't have worn this today.'

"I actually agree with you, baka. She's amusing, and seems she's hiding something from us."

They both nodded at each other, and before I knew it I was clinging to Deidara's back for dear life because we were in the air, at least 5,000 feet away from ground level.

"Let me go you creeps!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping someone besides these two morons would hear me, though I severely doubted it. I felt a hand on the back of my neck, and my world suddenly went black. 'Kuso.'

-*x*-

"Why is there a pink haired girl in my office?" I woke up, sitting in a chair, next to the idiots who kidnapped me, and a weird orange-haired man with a lot of piercings who sat in front of me.

I had chakra restraints on my arms too. I've read about these, there's no way out of these either. So I just had to act 'nice' to get the heck out of here.

"You!" I pointed at the two men sitting next to me, with a frown on my face. "You just couldn't leave me alone, could you?" The orange haired man sighed. Of course I couldn't run away either.

"Leader-sama, this is Sakura-chan! We think she should stay here!" Tobi said with an excitement.

"She's probably not even a genin," the orange haired man said.

"That's not true! I'm a chunin! Now let me go you weirdos!" I huffed again, totally irritated.

"A chunin? How old are you child," the man 'Leader-sama' asked.

"I'm seven," I muttered.

All three of them looked at me like I was crazy. "What village are you from," Leader-sama added.

"Konoha."

The same devilish smirk appeared on their faces, well except Tobi's since I couldn't really see his face. Why did it matter if I was from Konoha?

"What?" Did I miss something? I must have said something stupid or amusing to them.

"She can stay. You two will show her around. We'll discuss things later," 'Leader-sama' said before disappearing.

"Oh heck no! I'm not staying here!" The two got up from their seats and Deidara put a guiding hand on my shoulder and when exited the room. I didn't really have a choice either. 'Kuso.'

I was like a bug compared to the two men who over-towered me in height. With my pink hair, I'm sure I didn't look that threatening either. But that didn't stop me from showing my feisty side either. They messed with the wrong kunoichi if they think I'm gonna stay here. After all, they were the ones who…_killed_ otou-san and kaa-san and royally screwed up my life.

"Kuso," I muttered.

"Little girls like Sakura-chan shouldn't cuss!" Tobi said with a gasp.

"Damnit stop calling me that!" Tobi bonked me on the head. "Itai…" If I could punch him, oh I would...

"Aren't you scared of us?" Deidara added.

"Why should I? You said I was staying here. I can protect myself, thank you very much." The two stopped walking, which obviously made me stop since Deidara was in control of my movements.

"If you want to live, I suggest you don't underestimate us, Sakura," Deidara said icily. Which sent shivers down my spine, may I add.

"Then don't underestimate me either," I mumbled.

We continued walking until we reached a door down the extremely long hallway. "This will be your room, Sakura," Deidara said before opening the door. The room was medium-sized, and poorly lit. It looked dusty, like no one has ever lived in here or something. Lucky for me it had its own bathroom, and bed for that matter.

"Stay in here, until we get you for dinner, ok Sakura-chan?" Tobi added sweetly to which I just frowned. The two left with a sigh, seeing how I wasn't going to reply and promptly shut the door. "Kuso," I muttered. Why did this have to happen to me? What was I, a pet or something? I'm a kunoichi! A kunoichi who just wants to go home, not one shared with the criminals who killed my parents and messed with Konoha.

I decided that, if I was going to stay here, I might as well learn their secrets and skills so I could beat the tar out of them when I get older! They think I'm just a cute little girl who has no skill. But ooh, were they wrong. I may not be as strong as them yet, but I will be. I'm the Haruno prodigy! I can't waste my time being the Akatsuki pet! Why did they even keep me? I'm not going to be a member, if that's what they think. "Stupid bakas..."

I pouted and pondered with the thoughts in my head, while sitting on the bland bed. If they thought I was feisty now, wait till I show my skills off. Maybe then they won't treat me so lowly. It's not like I wanted their approval anyways, I just wanted to get out of here. I have a feeling that the other members, who were all most likely men, were never going to accept me. Not like I cared though, the only people who did were Hinata, Ino-pig, and Naruto, and well of course my family and the Hokage too. The Akatsuki just probably wanted information out of me.

But I wasn't going to give it without something in exchange, but then again they could easily kill me. I sighed in defeat. I should probably take Deidara's advice. They were _the_ Akatsuki after all, S-ranked criminals in every single Bingo Book made, with the intention to kill anything living that their 'Leader-sama' ordered them to. I had to admit, they were scary. Especially 'Leader-sama'. So, what was my plan? I had no idea, just stay alive I guess. Me and my poor planning skills were most likely going to kill me. I thought back to what Deidara said earlier. 'She's amusing and she's hiding something from us.' Damn right I was hiding something from them! The fact that I was on my way to go home so I could train for years so I could kill them, that's what I was hiding!

So there I was, sitting on a bed the Akatsuki provided me with, having no idea what to do. I heard the door open, so I jumped up from my position. "Come on Sakura-chan!" Tobi motioned for me to follow him, and I begrudgingly did, muttering things like 'baka' and 'kuso', which earned me another hit to the head.

"Sakura-chan, its very un-lady like to cuss!" Tobi screeched at me while we continued walking through the hallways.

"Pfft, like I care. You're not my otou-san."

When I mentioned 'otou-san' Tobi gave me a bone crushing hug. "I'll be your otou-san, Sakura-chan! Tobi's a good boy!" I pried him away, luckily.

"No one could ever replace my otou-san! You killed my family!" I covered my mouth after I realized what I said. Tobi bent down to my level, revealing an odd crimson eye.

"Is that true, Sakura-chan?" His voice seemed deeper. I huffed and looked away from him, tapping my foot. "Yeah, it is. My kaa-san too. Not like you care anyways. That didn't stop anyone from doing it."

Tobi returned to his bubbly personality when he stood up again. "Were gonna be late for dinner Sakura-chan! Let's hurry!" was the last thing he said before he started to drag me through the hallways. I screamed at him to slow down, since the arm he was tugging was almost pulled off by his force. When we finally stopped, and breathed in and out.

"Stupid baka! Were you trying to rip my arm off!" I dusted myself off, and paused when I realized I was in the presence of nearly the whole Akatsuki. 'Kuso.'

"Who the hell is that?" A silver haired man with violet eyes said as he glared at me with curiosity. I've seen him in the Bingo Book before, Hidan.

"Everyone this is Sakura-chan! She'll be staying here with us now!" Tobi said while hugging me again. I simply sighed and let him hug me, seeing as there was no way getting out of it. "Tobi, let go of me, you baka." He reluctantly let go, and I sat down, unfortunately between Tobi and Deidara. They continued talking as if I wasn't there, and every so once in a while when Hidan or I could cuss Tobi would tell us it's not 'polite'.

Dinner was yakisoba for most of us, while others ate sukiyaki. I could tell none of them made it either, since it tasted so good, it was almost as good as oba-san's cooking. Tobi kept asking me questions, ones I didn't prefer telling, but I did anyways, seeing that he was interested and I was downright bored. When Tobi asked who my friends were, they all stared at me when I said 'Naruto'.

"What?" I continued eating, as some returned to their previous conversation others glanced at me off and on, like I had something on my face or something.

"Your friends with the Kyuubi?" Deidara asked.

'Kyuubi.' THAT'S WHAT THE AKATSUKI WANTED IN KONOHA! OH MY GOD! THEY WANTED _NARUTO_!

My eyes glanced over at the wall and back to Deidara. He was the last thing I saw before passing out from fear. 'They wanted….Naruto. All along.'

"Holy fuck, she passed out!" Hidan stood up and started yelling out random things.

Tobi started freaking out and carried off into the hallways, Sakura in one arm, the other was waving in the air like a crazy maniac. Deidara was shortly behind yelling at him to put Sakura down and calling him a 'baka'.

Sakura in the mean time was being flailed around like a doll in Tobi's arms, conked out. The top of her head had a bit of soy sauce on it since her head banged against the table when she passed out. Tobi tossed Sakura on her bed and started pleading at her to wake up, and then was kicked out by a yelling Deidara who assured him that she would be fine.

Seeing that the only one who had medical knowledge, and had no emotions, Itachi checked the conked out pinkette and confirmed that she was fine, to which Tobi and Deidara breathed easily seeing how she was their responsibility. This kunoichi actually worried Deidara. She would regret that. Tobi wasn't going to be too easy on her either. When she woke up, she had some explaining to do.

-*x*-

Something was licking my forehead. I cracked open my eyes and saw it was Deidara's hand. "Sawannai-de!" He backed away a bit with a grin on his face, after I huffed at his action. "Why'd ya freak out when I mentioned the Kyuubi, Sakura?"

"Kuso.." I rubbed my head in pain. It felt like someone had beaten in my head multiple times.

"Chibi, ya better answer him," a red headed man appeared from the corner of my room.

"CHIBI?" I huffed again, I was not that short. He glared at me; I've seen him before in a book, Sasori. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Waketteru! "The Kyuubi" was my best friend and you're after him!" I rolled my eyes at Deidara, who 'tsk'd' at me.

"Dare-ni mukatte mono itten-dayo?" _(A/N: Meanings are at the bottom. ^^) _Sasori said with an un-amused look on his face when he tilted his head slightly to the right. I shifted my gaze to the wall, just to ignore him. "Chibi, you better learn some manners," Sasori said with the 'oh-so threatening voice'.

"My name isn't chibi! Hottoite-yo!" I stuck my tongue out at him, and continued to ignore him. I heard both of them sigh. Sasori whispered something to Deidara, and then left. "Come, Sakura." I shook my head 'no.' Deidara pulled me by the arm and then placed both of his hands on my shoulders, guiding me to some foreign place.

"What? You're gonna torture me or something to give you answers?" I yelled.

"No," Deidara softly said.

"Uso!" I pouted and kept walking only because I still had chakra restraints and Deidara was dictating where I was going.

When Deidara stopped walking, I almost freaked out. He bent down in front of me, staring at me like he was looking into my soul or something.

"I don't want you to die, so be truthful like a good little kunoichi, all right?" I turned my head and slightly nodded. With a frown still on my face, we entered 'Leader-sama's' office.

"Sakura Haruno, I have an offer for you," the orange haired man said with that repulsive grin on his face.

'Kuso.'

-*x*-

_(A/N: I tried to write this differently from my other stories! Hope it didn't suck! Meanings: ^^)_

_Oba-san__= aunt __Oji-san__= uncle __'Kuso!'__= 'Damn!' or 'Crap!' '__Baka'__= idiot __Otou-san__= father __Kaa-san__= mother _

'_Chan'__= honorific used towards young children (or teenage girls) that expresses the speaker finds the person endearing. _

'_Sama'__= honorific that is a more respectful version of 'san'._

'_Senpai'__= honorific used to address one's senior colleagues._

'_Wakatteru!'__= meaning "Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I knew that" or "Okay, I'll do it. Stop nagging."_

'_Dare-ni mukatte mono itten-dayo?'__= "Who do you think you're talking to?"_

'_Chibi'__= 'Shorty'_

'_Sawannai-de!'__= "Don't touch me!"_

_Hottoite-yo!'__= "Leave me alone!"_

'_Uso!'__= 'Liar!'_

_Yakisoba__- fried or deep fried Chinese style noodles served with vegetables, meat, and ginger._

_Sukiyaki__- A nabe dish prepared with thinly sliced meat, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu and shirataki (konyaku noodles). The pieces of food are dipped into raw egg before eaten._

_(Now I'm hungry lol ^.^ No, I'm not Japanese, I just did some simple research! XD )_


	2. Chapter 2

_Separation_

_Chapter 2:_

-*x*-

_Previously:_

"_My name isn't chibi! Hottoite-yo!" I stuck my tongue out at him, and continued to ignore him. I heard both of them sigh. Sasori whispered something to Deidara, and then left. "Come, Sakura." I shook my head 'no.' Deidara pulled me by the arm and then placed both of his hands on my shoulders, guiding me to some foreign place. _

"_What? You're gonna torture me or something to give you answers?" I yelled._

"_No," Deidara softly said._

"_Uso!" I pouted and kept walking only because I still had chakra restraints and Deidara was dictating where I was going. _

_When Deidara stopped walking, I almost freaked out. He bent down in front of me, staring at me like he was looking into my soul or something. _

"_I don't want you to die, so be truthful like a good little kunoichi, all right?" I turned my head and slightly nodded. With a frown still on my face, we entered 'Leader-sama's' office. _

"_Sakura Haruno, I have an offer for you," the orange haired man said with that repulsive grin on his face._

'_Kuso.'_

-*x*-

"Offer?" I leaned forward in my chair. 'So they don't want to torture me, eh?'

"We will train you and in exchange you will become our medic when your training is completed."

My eyebrow lifted in surprise, this was not what I was expecting. There was something off about this 'offer'. Honestly, I would have never picked this path for myself.

"What's the catch?"

The Leader seemed amused with my answer. "You may not leave the base unless permitted, and of course you would have to become a missing nin." I sat back in my chair, weighing my options.

"And if I don't agree?"

"You'll be killed," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then, I accept." Like hell I was going to pick death! I'm only seven! "Excellent. You'll be on trial for a month. We will see your skills before we train you." I nodded, "I have a question." "That is?"

I crossed both of my arms and frowned. "Which member killed my otou-san and kaa-san?"

Deidara quickly covered my mouth with his hand, and nervously laughed, as the Leader leaned back in his chair, since he seemed to get off subject. I can tell he likes meetings short and sweet.

"Honestly, I do not know. I don't keep tabs on that," he replied. Deidara took his hand away from my mouth, and continued to glare at me.

"Ok, then I have one more question." He narrowed his eyes.

"What do you plan to do with Naruto-kun?" Both of them sighed.

"We plan to take the Kyuubi out of him." "How do you do that?" I tilted my head in curiosity. "An extraction process." I gasped, "That won't kill Naruto-kun, will it?" He shook his head 'no', and I breathed easy.

"Any more questions?"

"If I'm the medic, well when I become the medic, that would make me a member, wouldn't it?" He nodded. 'Kuso.' "I don't have to kill anyone, do I?" Both of them quietly laughed at my stupid question, even though I was totally being serious. "Unless it's absolutely necessary, no you don't." I breathed out in relief.

"Now, I have some questions for you." I nodded, kind of anxious about what he would ask.

"Do you possess any secret jutsu?" I shook my head. I wish I did. "How are you a chunin?"

"I started training since I could hold a kunai. I'm the Haruno prodigy. The Hokage advanced my training from my age group."

"How close are you to becoming jounin level?"

I shrugged, "My training was done by myself for the past nine months, I'm not sure."

"When is your birth date?" That one threw me off, it was so random.

"Uh, March 28th."

It was October now, so I had awhile till I was eight.

"I see. One more question Sakura." I nodded kind of scared on what he was going to ask. "Do you know where Ame is?"

I nodded; it was right next to Suna, a tiny little country that always was at war. "We will be permanently relocating there in a week. You will begin training in Ame. Your trial begins tomorrow."

"Hai!" I added a cheery smile in hopes that it would be less awkward in here.

"Dismissed." The Leader disappeared from his seat, and Deidara took my hand and led me out of the office.

I guess my smile was contagious, because Deidara mirrored my current facial expression. "You did well, Sakura," Deidara said as he led me through the hallway. "Well, I was being honest. I wouldn't lie, it's not my nindo way."

"Nindo way?"

"My will of fire! All Konoha shinobi and kunoichi have one! Mine was for my parents," I said with a sad smile.

"You can't ever go back, you know."

"I know. But I'd rather do this then be dead. I'd be getting experience right?"

"You sure are different from any little girl I've seen," he said with a laugh.

"Being forced to grow up, yes, I am different. Sometimes, I wish things would have been different for me, more simplistic."

He raised his eyebrow, "And you know big words, hmm. You sure are an interesting girl Sakura." I nervously scratched my arm. "I try."

"So, what does this 'trial' consist of?" I said trying to strike up a conversation. "Loyalty."

'Kuso.'

-*x*-

I don't think I've ever been asked so many personal questions in my life. They must have asked at least a hundred, if not more. If I told my life story, I'm sure it would have gone faster. But, they used some weird jutsu on me to make sure I was telling the truth, which I was anyways. They held my life in their hands, gotta make sure not to get on their bad side, right? I'm pretty gullible anyways.

"So, Tsunade trained you?" A blue haired woman entered the office out of nowhere.

"Uh, hai. After Shizune, I'm her only other apprentice, well ex-apprentice." I swinged my feet back and forth, since they couldn't touch the floor. A few of the other members were in the office; some weren't, like Kakuzu, Zetsu, and Kisame. Deidara practically pulled Tobi off of me, since he was in a hyper mood. Eventually, Tobi was kicked out, which I was happy with.

"Are you scared of us child?" A raven haired man spoke up from one of the corners of the office. His name was Uchiha Itachi, if I recall, he killed his whole clan except his brother. I've never met his brother though; I heard he moved away from Konoha to Kumogakure after the massacre.

"Frankly, yes. I am."

The pinwheels in his Sharingan eyes twirled around a little after I said that. After a few more questions, specifically on my training, all the members left except Itachi and obviously Pein.

"Is genjutsu your weakest point," Pein asked.

"I guess so, I haven't had much training in it," I said as I twirled a piece of my cotton candy colored hair through my fingers. I was utterly bored, I've been in here since noon and it's already five at least.

"Then your first sensei will be Itachi." I looked over at the Uchiha who simply nodded at Pein.

'Kuso.'

Pein waved a dismissing hand at the both of us and disappeared from his seat. Itachi was already at the door before I could blink. I yawned and jumped down from my chair, and the Uchiha already disappeared from my sight. 'Kuso, which hallway do I take?'

I decided to sit in the middle of the hallway, hoping someone would find me, but alas no one did. I literally fell asleep in the middle of the hallway not that far from his office after three hours of waiting.

-*x*-

"Why is that kunoichi sleeping in the hallway?" Kakuzu asked as he walked into a lively poker game being held at the dining table. Sake bottles were scattered everywhere on the table, and the two women were efficiently trying to clean the table while the drunken men continued playing. Only a few remained sober.

"You mean Sakura-chan?" Tobi asked with the annoying hyper voice of his.

"Uh, yeah, the pink haired one," Kakuzu said before sitting down. Tobi jumped from his seat, no longer interested in the game (he was losing anyways), with Deidara after him. The two indeed found Sakura sleeping in the hallway. Her head slumped over; looking as if it was going to fall to the ground. She was remarkably still sitting, unaware of her surroundings.

"Sakura-chan must have got lost," Tobi whispered because they were 10 feet away from her.

Deidara only followed Tobi because he was afraid Tobi would glomp her, and he felt an odd protectiveness when it came to her. Of course, he wouldn't say anything to her. She may act tough, but she's still a little girl. A little girl that has no one to look after her. One with no parents, because this very organization killed them and (practically) forced her to become a trainee then medic and ditch her family and friends. The sad thing was- she didn't know the whole truth either. The 'extraction process' would kill her 'Naruto-kun'.

"I forgot she doesn't know her way around yet," Deidara whispered back.

The two cautiously made their way over to the sleeping girl. "I'll take her back Tobi," Deidara whispered, and then Tobi disappeared into thin air.

Carefully, Deidara picked up Sakura, who seemed to be a heavy sleeper, and carried her back to her room, ignoring the poker game as they walked by. The blonde bomber never particularly cared for anything except his art, but slowly Sakura seemed to be the only exception to that. Deidara found it ironic that she could be feisty and cocky one second and the next an angel peacefully sleeping. She was really adorable when she was sleeping he had to admit. Once they reached her room, Deidara set her on the bed and slowly backed away from the sleeping little girl. When he was almost to the door, he heard her mutter something in her sleep.

"I love you, otou-san."

-*x*-

The Akatsuki decided to move back to the Ame base earlier than planned, at two in the morning, five days ahead of schedule, because some ANBU were close to finding it. They knew that the ANBU were trying to find lost children making their way back to Konoha, Sakura being one of them. They wouldn't give up their trainee so easily though.

Sakura was dead asleep when Deidara carried her (and her pack) through the trees, and being the heavy sleeper she was- she was asleep the whole time. She weighed like a feather, so Deidara didn't mind carrying her, he would rather be the one to do it than anyone else, for reasons he didn't know. Maybe it was the fact that they both grew up without parents, and maybe- he felt responsible for her since he and Tobi brought her into this. Plus, Tobi was like a child himself, so that left him.

Halfway through the journey, half of the others continued going on while the others took a small break, it was 5 in the morning after all. Sakura was propped up against a tree, with her pack next to her, while Deidara went off somewhere to 'blow something' up. Itachi and Kisame were nearby as well. That was until they heard Sakura scream for bloody murder.

-*x*-

I felt something crawling up my arm, and instantly woke up in panic. I screamed like a banshee when I found out it was a snake, and it was trying to BITE me! I ran away, like the dumb little girl I was, eventually losing sight of where I originally sat. That damn thing was still chasing after me too.

-*x*-

"Did you hear something, Itachi?"

The Uchiha nodded his head, and the two made their way towards the noise. That's when they saw Itachi's new pupil running away from a large snake, screaming along the way.

The snake looked fairly familiar to Itachi, because he's seen it before too- it was Orochimaru's pet.

Using Amatersu, the snake quickly burnt to a crisp the instant the black flames touched it. Sakura continued running in the same direction, because she didn't notice the snake was long gone. Amused with her actions, Kisame retrieved her pack and the two watched the trainee run in panic for at least 20 minutes.

The pinkette decided it was safe to stop running, and when she turned around she went into panic-mode, because it was gone. "I know you're here snake! So…j-just come out!" The girl huffed and pulled out a kunai, because she still had chakra restraints on. The two were sitting in a tree, amused with Itachi's pupil. Kisame tossed her pack to her, and Sakura jumped since it landed behind her. That just infuriated her more.

"What the? Oi! Snake-teme, show yourself before I skin you!"

She may be a chunin, but she was pretty gullible, after all she was still just a kid.

-*x*-

I was still tired, but that snake-teme was still out there…somewhere…waiting to strike. "Kuso," I said loud (because Tobi wasn't here). I heard something snicker in a nearby tree, and threw my kunai towards it. "Oi!" I jumped back a little, since the snake-teme just talked.

Well, I thought it was the snake-teme, but it was peeved Kisame and an amused Itachi. I smacked my forehead in frustration. The two made themselves apparent when I turned around right into Kisame's hand, which was on my forehead, pushing me backwards. "Oi! Sawannai-de!" When he let go, I huffed and turned around to collect my pack.

"Where are we?" I was so oblivious to the fact that we were in a forest of some sort until now.

"On our way to Ame, pinky," Kisame muttered.

"Don't call me pinky!" I huffed and continued going north. "Where are you going Sakura?" I turned around to see the Uchiha caught me by my pack. "To Ame, duhh."

He pointed to the west. "Ame's this way."

I frowned and then continued to walk to the west. "We'll never get there if we walk pinky," Kisame mused. "Well I don't feel like running, so go on without me!" I stuck my tongue out at him.

"If you thought Ame was to the north, you'll never get to the base pinky," Kisame laughed, then tossed me over his shoulder like I was some ragdoll.

"Hey let me down!" The two ignored my complaints and ran through the trees like lighting. I decided to close my eyes, or else I would probably get dizzy. I gave up and let out a big sigh. "Baka," I mumbled. I fell asleep after 45 minutes of running, out of sleep deprivation and boredom. Sure, Kisame's shoulder was not the most comfortable thing to sleep on, but I really didn't care, I needed my 8 hours of sleep, like kaa-san always told me. I was always spoiled when it came to sleep; I only woke up after 8 hours, like my body naturally woke up. I went to bed pretty early anyways, unlike most kids my age. Since I trained a lot, I conked out the minute my bed time was called.

My dream was quite…colorful.

I was playing in a field of some sort with Ino-pig, Hinata, and Naruto-kun, until the Akatsuki showed up. Itachi and Deidara pulled me away from my friends and claimed that I had training to do. When I started to cuss at them Tobi put a bar of soap in my mouth. The rest of the Akatsuki captured Naruto-kun and tied him up, Pein threw him over his shoulders and we continued back to the base.

Hinata and Ino-pig ran back towards Konoha I assumed and then a man with white, long spiky hair, who I assumed was Jiraya, killed Kakuzu and Kisame, while Shikamaru and Kakashi killed Hidan and Zetsu. It was such a weird dream, because it felt so realistic, like it actually happened.

-*x*-

Deidara was the last to arrive at the new base, and was surprised by the size of it. It was at least five times bigger than the last one, which meant bigger rooms, which equals a happy Deidara. He found out which room was his and Sakura's when Tobi told him. Sakura's room was the only one in the west wing. Everyone else's except Konan and Pein's was in the east wing. The hallways were at least not as poorly lit as the last one, but they were longer to fit all of the rooms, since each room was like a master bedroom compared to the last base.

The best part about the new room was the closet. The villagers filled each wardrobe to the nines since they claimed the Akatsuki 'holy'. Why they didn't just have their first base here, he wondered, it was so much nicer. The bathroom was adorned in marble fixtures, you could actually pace back and forth in the room, and there were windows too, that was a plus. The base also had massive training grounds, with its own frikin' forest. 'I think I'll enjoy my stay here.'

When Deidara walked closer to Sakura's room, he could smell the sweet fragrance of cherry blossom. When he opened the door, he almost had a heart attack. Everything was _pink_ and _black_. The room seemed even larger than his. On the large bed, the small pinkette was tucked in tight, still fast asleep. The room had a vanity, an even larger closet, bathroom, desk, and bookcase. 'Jeez.' He wondered if she was spoiled before in Konoha, but he dismissed that when he saw her stir in her sleep. He quickly shut the door quietly and was tackled by Tobi.

"We have a mission Deidara-sempai!" Tobi helped the irritated blonde up who just kept quiet since they were right next to Sakura's door.

-*x*-

Itachi knew the pinkette had promise that was the only reason he accepted her as his only pupil. She reminded him of himself. Forced to grow up, being a prodigy, always being pushed to exceed by their clan. Yet, she seemed so innocent, unlike him. She was way too young to experience the trauma she's gone through, just like Sauske.

She was an interesting Konoha kunoichi. Itachi was even interested in the skills she possessed. Maybe he won't try to kill her on her first day of training. He certainly won't go easy on her, that's for sure. If she was going to be in the Akatsuki, she had to be a powerhouse. He knew that Deidara was starting to have an attachment to the girl, and he could see why. She was the only thing innocent in the Akatsuki; it reminded them of their life before they became criminals. With her attitude, she brought an amusement to all of them, she acted tough like nothing could touch her, but she was so gullible as a little kid, you could taunt and tease her all day, and by the end of the day she looked adorable when she was fast asleep.

Itachi had a heart of ice, but with her feisty attitude, Sakura was slowly becoming something that the Uchiha could care about.

That worried him.

He did not want something to worry and care about.

Kami-sama was being harsh on him.

With a sigh, Itachi made his way to Sakura's room since it was nine in the morning now. Yet, she was still asleep when he entered the room. Unsure of what to do, he decided to open the curtains to her darkened room to let some light in, like he always did when he woke up Sauske. When he poked her on the forehead softly, she turned to her side. "Five more minutes, otou-san," she sighed. Oddly, Sauske would say the same thing except he would say 'onii-san'.

He decided the only way to wake the pinkette up was to do it by force. He plopped down hard next to her on the large bed, and she reluctantly woke up. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Sakura," Itachi whispered loud enough for her to hear. Her eyes slowly widened when she found herself in her new room.

"Where the heck am I?" She managed to whisper as she sat up.

"This is your room at the new base. I figured we should go over our training regimen now."

The little girl gasped, "This is _my_ room?" She jumped out of the large bed and ran to her closet. When she slid the door to the right, she almost freaked out. It was a walk-in closet, filled with brand new clothing. "Ino-pig would have a heart attack," she mumbled. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. "The villagers spoil the Akatsuki." She looked up at the Uchiha who had a small smirk on his face.

"I'd say." She ignored the fact that his hand was still on her shoulder, and picked out a new training outfit. Itachi disappeared from the closet, saying that he would be back. Sakura took this opportunity to rush to the bathroom and put the new outfit on.

It was similar to previous one. A black zip up top, identical to her red one, but without her clan symbol on it. Fishnet leggings underneath the red medical skirt, and new boots, similar to her other ones. When she exited the bathroom, Itachi was already at the desk of hers, and tossed a scroll to her.

"Memorize everything on that scroll. I'll be back in an hour." He disappeared into a flock of crows, leaving Sakura a bit stunned.

The scroll first had the schedule regimen. They would train from eight in the morning after breakfast, till noon for a small lunch break, and then return to training until six when they usually had dinner. The only break she was allowed was at four and it was only for twenty minutes. 'Kuso.'

Underneath the schedule was a butt load of information on genjutsu. She skimmed it quickly, and then found a small note at the bottom of it.

'We're both prodigies, heirs to our clan; don't hold back because I won't.'

"This is gonna be a long day."

-*x*-

_(A/N: Sorry it's so jumpy in places XD I've never typed before handwriting before, so this is new to me 0.0 Let me know if you like the new style I'm writing with dialogue, or if it plain sucks and you want me to go back to my old ways. Personally, I like this way better XD Arigatou and please R&R! ^^)_


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